MLC Election Results: BJP Wins 13 Seats, But Setbacks In Varanasi, Nagpur Raise Concerns

The Legislative Council elections held across 28 seats in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka have raised concerns for both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress. Although the BJP won the highest number of seats, 13, its defeats in Nagpur and Varanasi dampened its celebrations.

The BJP lost both seats in Varanasi, which is represented in Parliament by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, the Congress secured a late-night victory in Nagpur, home to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters and the home district of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

Congress Takes A Dig At BJP

Despite winning just one seat, the Congress has launched an attack on the BJP. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Thursday, “The ‘sermon minister’ needs to introspect, but he is busy preaching to others! Before counting the Congress's seats, I wish he had also considered why the BJP lost both seats in his own parliamentary constituency of Varanasi and how the Congress defeated the BJP in Nagpur, the RSS's stronghold.”

He added, “Modi ji, stop trolling. Crores of families are suffering from crippling inflation, young people are unemployed, and private investment has come to a standstill. Give up your arrogance and reflect on these issues! From Varanasi and Nagpur to Lucknow, Prayagraj and Patna, people have clearly passed a vote of no confidence against your policies.”

What Did PM Modi Say?

Earlier, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig at the Congress amid the MLC election results, asking people to assess how many seats the party had won. Several other senior BJP leaders also made similar posts on X.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “The BJP has lost in Maharashtra in elections held through ballot papers. The BJP has also lost in Banaras, Varanasi, or Kashi, where Narendra Modi is an MP. The BJP has lost in Lucknow as well. In the elections held through ballot papers in Maharashtra, the BJP has lost in all the constituencies for graduate voters. It should accept this defeat.”

Who Won Where In Uttar Pradesh?

Elections were held for 11 seats in Uttar Pradesh, with the BJP winning six and the Samajwadi Party (SP) securing five. The MLC elections are politically significant ahead of the state's Assembly elections.

The BJP won the Lucknow Teachers', Bareilly-Moradabad Teachers', Meerut Graduates', Agra Graduates', Gorakhpur Teachers' and Meerut Teachers' constituencies.

The SP won the Allahabad-Jhansi Graduates', Varanasi Graduates', Lucknow Graduates', Agra Teachers' and Varanasi Teachers' constituencies.

JDU Suffers Setback In Bihar

Elections were held for eight seats in Bihar. The BJP fielded candidates in four constituencies and won three, losing the Patna Teachers' seat.

The BJP's alliance partner, Janata Dal (United), also suffered a setback. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party contested four seats but lost three. The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) won one seat, while Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraaj secured one. Independent candidates won two seats.

The BJP won the Kosi Graduates', Tirhut Teachers' and Darbhanga Graduates' constituencies. The JDU won the Patna Graduates' seat, while the RJD secured victory in the Patna Teachers' constituency. Independents won the Tirhut Graduates' and Saran Teachers' seats, while Jan Suraaj won the Darbhanga Teachers' constituency.

Maharashtra Delivers A Surprising Result

In the elections to five Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, the ruling Mahayuti alliance won two, with the BJP and Shiv Sena securing one seat each. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), another Mahayuti constituent, suffered a major setback and said it would review its performance.

NCP leader Sunil Tatkare said the party accepted its defeat and would examine what went wrong.

“We have to certainly investigate, reflect and introspect to understand where we fell short and what we should have done differently,” he said.

Tatkare also questioned why Satish Chavan lost despite representing the NCP in the Graduates' constituency for three consecutive terms, spanning 18 years. He said Chavan had worked extensively for graduate voters.

The Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), or NCP (SP), won the Pune Graduates' and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Graduates' constituencies. Both seats had belonged to the undivided NCP before the party split in 2023.

Shiv Sena's Kiran Sarnaik won the Amravati Teachers' constituency, while BJP candidate Kaustubh Gawde secured the Pune Teachers' seat.

In the Pune Graduates' constituency, NCP (SP) candidate Harshada Deshmukh-Jadhav defeated BJP candidate Smita Jadhav. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, NCP (SP) candidate Pratapsingh Patil defeated the NCP candidate.

The Congress retained the Nagpur Graduates' constituency, where sitting MLC Abhijit Vanjari defeated BJP candidate Sudhakar Kohale and independent candidate Nitesh Karale.

BJP Blames Shiv Sena For Lack Of Support

Following the results, the NCP (SP) and Congress stepped up their attacks on the BJP-led alliance and celebrated their victories.

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule said voters had backed the Maha Vikas Aghadi in three Graduates' constituencies -- Nagpur, Pune and Marathwada -- in the elections to five Legislative Council seats in Maharashtra.

She thanked voters for supporting the alliance, saying their faith in the Maha Vikas Aghadi's leadership and ideology was valuable.

The BJP, meanwhile, blamed the Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for its performance. BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said the Shiv Sena had failed to provide the expected support to its ally in the Teachers' and Graduates' constituency elections in Pune and Nagpur, despite being part of the alliance.

Karnataka Results: BJP Wins Three Of Four Seats

The ruling Congress lost one seat in Karnataka, where the BJP won three of the four constituencies. The BJP's alliance partner, Janata Dal (Secular), won the remaining seat.

The JD(S) defeated the sitting Congress MLC in the Bengaluru Teachers' constituency. The BJP defeated Congress candidates in the North-East Teachers', South-East Graduates' and West Graduates' constituencies.

The results are not expected to affect the stability of the Congress government in Karnataka. However, they are being viewed as a sign of opposition coordination between the BJP and the JD(S), and as a significant setback for the Congress.

The Congress also suffered a defeat in the home region of party president Mallikarjun Kharge.